Display control method and apparatus

ABSTRACT

A display control method includes: obtaining, by a terminal, orientations and display statuses of a first screen and a second screen; determining, by the terminal, whether a trigger event used for adjusting the display statuses of the first screen and the second screen occurs; and when the trigger event occurs, displaying, by the terminal, adjusted display content on the first screen and the second screen based on the orientations and the display statuses of the first screen and the second screen. By obtaining an orientation and a display status of a terminal screen, when the trigger event occurs, the terminal can adjust the display status of the screen in a timely manner, so that a user can perform an interaction operation and interaction display between different screens.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/500,609, filed on Oct. 13, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/606,668, filed on Oct. 18, 2019, now U.S.Pat. No. 11,170,737, which is a National Stage of International PatentApplication No. PCT/CN2017/081174, filed on Apr. 20, 2017. All of theaforementioned patent applications are hereby incorporated by referencein their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates to the field of display technologies, and inparticular, to a multi-screen terminal display control method and anapparatus.

BACKGROUND

Currently, a smartphone and another electronic device tend to use amulti-screen. Moreover, electronic devices have increasingly rich screentypes. In addition to a conventional display screen, a foldable screen,a curved screen, and a flexible screen appear. There are already somedual-screen flip phones on the market, for example, a flip phone withdisplay screens respectively on a front surface and a back surface of aflip. To perform an interaction operation and interaction displaybetween different screens and improve user experience, a display controlmethod applicable to a multi-screen terminal is required.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention provide a multi-screen terminaldisplay control method and an apparatus, to resolve the foregoingtechnical problem in the prior art.

According to a first aspect, a display control method is provided. Themethod is applied to a terminal that includes at least a first screenand a second screen, and the method includes: obtaining, by theterminal, orientations and display statuses of the first screen and thesecond screen; and when a trigger event occurs, displaying, by theterminal, adjusted display content on the first screen and the secondscreen based on the orientations and the display statuses of the firstscreen and the second screen, where the trigger event is used to triggerthe terminal to adjust the display statuses of the first screen and thesecond screen. By obtaining an orientation and a display status of aterminal screen, when the trigger event occurs, the terminal can adjustthe display status of the screen in a timely manner, so that a user canperform an interaction operation and interaction display betweendifferent screens.

In one embodiment, the obtaining, by the terminal, orientations of thefirst screen and the second screen of the terminal includes: obtaining,by the terminal, a relative position status of the first screen and thesecond screen. Therefore, the terminal can determine the relativeposition status and postures of the screens, and a screen being used bythe user.

In one embodiment, the relative position status includes a firstposition status and a second position status; in the first positionstatus, the first screen and the second screen are side by side, andface a same direction; and in the second position status, the firstscreen and the second screen are stacked back to back. Therefore, theterminal can be used in two different relative position statuses, andcan be switched between the relative position statuses.

In one embodiment, the obtaining, by the terminal, orientations of thefirst screen and the second screen of the terminal includes: obtaining,by the terminal, the relative position status by using sensors disposedon the first screen and the second screen. Therefore, the terminal canobtain the relative position status of the first screen and the secondscreen.

In one embodiment, the sensor includes a gravity sensor, an opticalproximity sensor, or a combination of a gravity sensor and an opticalproximity sensor. Therefore, the terminal can obtain the relativeposition status of the first screen and the second screen in a pluralityof manners.

In one embodiment, the display statuses of the first screen and thesecond screen include on/off states and display content of the firstscreen and the second screen.

In one embodiment, the trigger event includes at least one of thefollowing events: orientation changes of the first screen and the secondscreen; a preset user operation; and a preset application activity. Byusing the trigger event, the terminal can make a response in a timelymanner, and adjust the display status and display content of the screen.

In one embodiment, the preset user operation includes at least one ofthe following manners: an operation performed in a preset area and anoperation performed by using a preset gesture. Therefore, the terminalcan respond to the preset user operation, and adjust the display statusand the display content of the screen.

In one embodiment, the first screen or the second screen is a displayscreen or a partial display area of the display screen.

In one embodiment, the display screen includes a flexible displayscreen.

According to a second aspect, a terminal is provided. The terminalincludes at least a first screen and a second screen, and the terminalfurther includes: an obtaining module, configured to obtain orientationsand display statuses of the first screen and the second screen; and adisplay module, configured to: when a trigger event occurs, displayadjusted display content on the first screen and the second screen basedon the orientations and the display statuses of the first screen and thesecond screen, where the trigger event is used to trigger the terminalto adjust the display statuses of the first screen and the secondscreen. By obtaining an orientation and a display status of a terminalscreen, when the trigger event occurs, the terminal can adjust thedisplay status of the screen in a timely manner, so that a user canperform an interaction operation and interaction display betweendifferent screens.

In one embodiment, the obtaining module is further configured to obtaina relative position status of the first screen and the second screen.Therefore, the terminal can determine the relative position status andpostures of the screens, and a screen being used by the user.

In one embodiment, the relative position status includes a firstposition status and a second position status; in the first positionstatus, the first screen and the second screen are side by side, andface a same direction; and in the second position status, the firstscreen and the second screen are stacked back to back. Therefore, theterminal can be used in two different relative position statuses, andcan be switched between the relative position statuses.

In one embodiment, the obtaining module is further configured to obtainthe relative position status by using sensors disposed on the firstscreen and the second screen. Therefore, the terminal can obtain therelative position status of the first screen and the second screen.

In one embodiment, the sensor includes a gravity sensor, an opticalproximity sensor, or a combination of a gravity sensor and an opticalproximity sensor. Therefore, the terminal can obtain the relativeposition status of the first screen and the second screen in a pluralityof manners.

In one embodiment, the display statuses of the first screen and thesecond screen include on/off states and display content of the firstscreen and the second screen.

In one embodiment, the trigger event includes at least one of thefollowing events: orientation changes of the first screen and the secondscreen; a preset user operation; and a preset application activity. Byusing the trigger event, the terminal can make a response in a timelymanner, and adjust the display status and display content of the screen.

In one embodiment, the preset user operation includes at least one ofthe following manners: an operation performed in a preset area and anoperation performed by using a preset gesture. Therefore, the terminalcan respond to the preset user operation, and adjust the display statusand the display content of the screen.

In one embodiment, the first screen or the second screen is a displayscreen or a partial display area of the display screen.

In one embodiment, the display screen includes a flexible displayscreen.

According to a third aspect, a terminal is provided. The terminalincludes a processor, a memory, at least a first screen and a secondscreen, and a sensor; and the processor is configured to: obtainorientations and display statuses of the first screen and the secondscreen; and when a trigger event occurs, display adjusted displaycontent on the first screen and the second screen based on theorientations and the display statuses of the first screen and the secondscreen, where the trigger event is used to trigger the terminal toadjust the display statuses of the first screen and the second screen.By obtaining an orientation and a display status of a terminal screen,when the trigger event occurs, the terminal can adjust the displaystatus of the screen in a timely manner, so that a user can perform aninteraction operation and interaction display between different screens.

In one embodiment, the processor is further configured to obtain arelative position status of the first screen and the second screen.Therefore, the terminal can determine the relative position status andpostures of the screens, and a screen being used by the user.

In one embodiment, the relative position status includes a firstposition status and a second position status; in the first positionstatus, the first screen and the second screen are side by side, andface a same direction; and in the second position status, the firstscreen and the second screen are stacked back to back. Therefore, theterminal can be used in two different relative position statuses, andcan be switched between the relative position statuses.

In one embodiment, the processor is further configured to obtain therelative position status by using sensors disposed on the first screenand the second screen. Therefore, the terminal can obtain the relativeposition status of the first screen and the second screen.

In one embodiment, the sensor includes a gravity sensor, an opticalproximity sensor, or a combination of a gravity sensor and an opticalproximity sensor. Therefore, the terminal can obtain the relativeposition status of the first screen and the second screen in a pluralityof manners.

In one embodiment, the display statuses of the first screen and thesecond screen include on/off states and display content of the firstscreen and the second screen.

In one embodiment, the trigger event includes at least one of thefollowing events: orientation changes of the first screen and the secondscreen; a preset user operation; and a preset application activity. Byusing the trigger event, the terminal can make a response in a timelymanner, and adjust the display status and display content of the screen.

In one embodiment, the preset user operation includes at least one ofthe following manners: an operation in a preset area and an operation ofa preset gesture. Therefore, the terminal can respond to the preset useroperation, and adjust the display status and the display content of thescreen.

In one embodiment, the first screen or the second screen is a displayscreen or a partial display area of the display screen.

In one embodiment, the display screen includes a flexible displayscreen.

According to a fourth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium isprovided, including an instruction. When running on a computer, theinstruction enables the computer to perform the method according to thefirst aspect.

According to a fifth aspect, a computer program product that includes aninstruction is provided. When running on a computer, the instructionenables the computer to perform the method according to the firstaspect.

According to the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of thepresent invention, when the trigger event used for adjusting theorientation, the display status, and the display content of the screenoccurs, the terminal can adjust the display status and the displaycontent in a timely manner based on the orientation, the display status,and the display content of the screen, so that the user can perform theinteraction operation and the interaction display between differentscreens, thereby improving user experience.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

To describe embodiments of the present invention more clearly, thefollowing briefly describes the accompanying drawings required fordescribing the embodiments. Apparently, the accompanying drawings in thefollowing description show merely some embodiments of the presentinvention, and a person of ordinary skill in the art may still deriveanother drawing from these accompanying drawings without creativeefforts.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a first terminal accordingto an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2(A), FIG. 2(B), and FIG. 2(C) are schematic structural diagrams ofa terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3(A), FIG. 3(B), FIG. 3(C), and FIG. 3(D) are schematic diagrams ofa relative position status of terminal screens according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a display control method according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a first relative position status ofterminal screens according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6(A) and FIG. 6(B) are schematic diagrams of a second relativeposition status of terminal screens according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 7(A) and FIG. 7(B) are schematic diagrams of a first displaysolution in a first scenario according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 8(A) and FIG. 8(B) are schematic diagrams of a second displaysolution in a first scenario according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 9(A) and FIG. 9(B) are schematic diagrams of a third displaysolution in a first scenario according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B are a schematic diagram of a first displaysolution in a second scenario according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B are a schematic diagram of a second displaysolution in a second scenario according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B are a schematic diagram of a third displaysolution in a second scenario according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B are a schematic diagram of a fourth displaysolution in a second scenario according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 14A and FIG. 14B are a schematic diagram of a first displaysolution in a third scenario according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 15A and FIG. 15B are a schematic diagram of a second displaysolution in a third scenario according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 16A and FIG. 16B are a schematic diagram of a third displaysolution in a third scenario according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 17 is a schematic structural diagram of a second terminal accordingto an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 18 is a schematic structural diagram of a third terminal accordingto an embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The embodiments of the present invention are described below withreference to the accompanying drawings.

For clarity, the following terms are defined.

When a “screen” is mentioned in the embodiments of the presentinvention, unless otherwise specified, the “screen” may represent alldisplay areas of a display screen, or may represent a partial displayarea of a display screen. For example, a terminal uses a flexibledisplay screen. The flexible display screen may be folded, and displayareas can be disposed on both sides of a bending part, and separatelydisplay different content. Therefore, the flexible display screenincludes at least two partial display areas on both sides of the bendingpart. In this case, each partial display area may be referred to as a“screen”.

When a “front surface” and a “back surface” are mentioned, unlessotherwise specified, the “front surface” represents a surface of theterminal facing a user, and the “back surface” represents a surface ofthe terminal away from the user.

When a “display surface” and a “non-display surface” are mentioned,unless otherwise specified, the “display surface” may represent asurface of a display screen that can display content or on which a useroperation can be performed; and the “non-display surface” may representa surface of the display screen that cannot display content or on whicha user operation cannot be performed, and the surface is usually a rearcover or a rear housing of the display screen. In case of no ambiguity,for brevity of description, a “display surface of a screen” may also bereferred to as a “screen”.

The ordinal numbers such as “first” and “second” mentioned shall onlyserve the purpose of differentiation unless the numbers definitelyindicate a sequence according to the context.

A display control method and an apparatus in the embodiments of thepresent invention may be applied to any terminal that has a plurality ofscreens and a plurality of applications. The apparatus may be hardware,software, or a combination of software and hardware that has aprocessing capability and that is installed on the terminal. Theterminal may be a terminal such as a cell phone or a mobile phone, atablet personal computer (TPC), a laptop computer, a digital camera, adigital camera, a projection device, a wearable device, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), an e-book reader, a virtual reality intelligentdevice, a digital broadcast terminal, a message transceiver, a gameconsole, a medical device, a fitness device, or a scanner. The terminalmay communicate with a network through 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, or a wirelesslocal area network (WLAN).

In the embodiments of the present invention, a mobile phone is used asan example of the terminal for description. FIG. 1 is a block diagram ofa partial structure of a mobile phone 100 related to the embodiments ofthe present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 , the mobile phone 100includes components such as a radio frequency (RF) circuit 110, a memory120, an input unit 130, a display screen 140, a sensor 150, an audiofrequency circuit 160, an input/output (I/O) subsystem 170, a processor180, and a power supply 190. A person skilled in the art may understandthat a terminal structure shown in FIG. 1 is only used as an example ofimplementation, and imposes no limitation on a terminal. The terminalmay include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, orcombine some components, or have different component arrangements.

The RF circuit 110 may be configured to: receive and send a signal in aninformation receiving or sending process or in a call process;particularly, after receiving downlink information of a base station,send the downlink information to the processor 180 for processing; andsend related uplink data to the base station. Generally, the RF circuitincludes but is not limited to an antenna, at least one amplifier, atransceiver, a coupler, a low noise amplifier (LNA), a duplexer, and thelike. In addition, the RF circuit 110 may further communicate with anetwork and another device through wireless communication. The wirelesscommunication may use any communications standard or protocol, includingbut not limited to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), ageneral packet radio service (GPRS), Code Division Multiple Access(CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Long TermEvolution (LTE), an email, a short message service (SMS), and the like.

The memory 120 may be configured to store a software program and amodule. The processor 180 executes various functional applications anddata processing of the mobile phone 100 by running the software programand the module that are stored in the memory 120. The memory 120 mayinclude a program storage area and a data storage area. The programstorage area may store an operating system, an application required byat least one function (such as a sound playing function or an imageplaying function), and the like. The data storage area may store data(such as audio data, video data, or an address book) created based onuse of the mobile phone 100, and the like. In addition, the memory 120may include a volatile memory such as a nonvolatile dynamic randomaccess memory (NVRAM), a phase change random access memory (PRAM), or amagnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), or may include anonvolatile memory such as at least one magnetic disk storage device, anelectrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a flashmemory device such as a NOR flash memory or a NAND flash memory, asemiconductor such as a solid state disk (SSD), or the like.

The input unit 130 may be configured to: receive input digit orcharacter information, and generate key signal input related to a usersetting and function control of the mobile phone 100. Specifically, theinput unit 130 may include a touch panel 131 and another input device132. The touch panel 131, also referred to as a touchscreen, may collecta touch operation performed by a user on or near the touch panel (forexample, an operation performed by the user on or near the touch panel131 by using any suitable object or accessory such as a finger or astylus), and may drive a corresponding connection apparatus based on apreset program. Optionally, the touch panel 131 may include two parts: atouch detection apparatus and a touch controller. The touch detectionapparatus detects a touch position of the user, detects a signal broughtby the touch operation, and transmits the signal to the touchcontroller. The touch controller receives touch information from thetouch detection apparatus, converts the touch information into touchpoint coordinates, and sends the touch point coordinates to theprocessor 180, and can receive and execute a command sent by theprocessor 180. In addition, the touch panel 131 may be implemented byusing a plurality of types such as a resistive type, a capacitive type,an infrared ray, and a surface acoustic wave. In addition to the touchpanel 131, the input unit 130 may further include the another inputdevice 132. Specifically, the another input device 132 may include butis not limited to one or more of a physical keyboard, a function key(such as a volume control key or an on/off key), a trackball, a mouse, ajoystick, and the like.

The display screen 140 may be configured to display information enteredby the user or information provided for the user, and various interfacesof the mobile phone 100. The display screen 140 may include a displaypanel 141. Optionally, the display panel 141 may be configured in a formof a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor LCD (TFT-LCD),a light emitting diode (LED), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), aflexible display screen, a force touch display screen, or the like.Further, the touch panel 131 may cover the display panel 141. Whendetecting the touch operation on or near the touch panel 131, the touchpanel 131 transfers the touch operation to the processor 180 todetermine a type of a touch event, and then the processor 180 providescorresponding visual output on the display panel 141 based on the typeof the touch event. Although the touch panel 131 and the display panel141 in FIG. 1 are used as two independent components to implement inputand input functions of the mobile phone 100, in some embodiments, thetouch panel 131 and the display panel 141 may be integrated to implementthe input and output functions of the mobile phone 100. The displayscreen 140 may be configured to display content, and the contentincludes a user interface (UI) or a graphical user interface (GUI), forexample, a startup interface of the terminal and a user interface of anapplication. The content may further include information and data. Thedisplay screen 140 is connected to a display controller 173. The displaycontroller 173 may process content that is being displayed or to bedisplayed on the display screen 140, for example, a system desktop or anapplication interface, generate display data, and send the display datato the display screen 140 for display. When there are a plurality ofdisplay screens 140, the display controller 173 separately generatescorresponding display data for different screens, and distributes thedisplay data to respective display screens 140 for display. The displayscreen 140 may be a built-in screen of the terminal or another externaldisplay device.

The sensor 150 includes at least one optical sensor, a motion sensor, alocation sensor, a Hall effect sensor, and another sensor. Specifically,the optical sensor may include an ambient optical sensor and a proximitysensor. The ambient optical sensor may obtain luminance of an ambientlight. The proximity sensor may close the display panel 141 and/orbacklight when the mobile phone 100 approaches an ear. The motion sensormay include an acceleration sensor that may detect accelerationmagnitudes in all directions (generally three axes). When theacceleration sensor is stationary, the acceleration sensor may detect amagnitude and a direction of gravity, and may be configured to recognizea posture application of the mobile phone (such as switching betweenlandscape and portrait, related games, and magnetometer posturecalibration), vibration recognition related functions (such as apedometer and a stroke), and the like. The location sensor may beconfigured to obtain geographical location coordinates of the terminal.The geographical location coordinates may be obtained by using a GlobalPositioning System (GPS), a COMPASS system, a GLONASS system, and aGalileo system, and the like. The location sensor may alternativelyperform positioning by using a base station of a mobile operationnetwork or a local area network such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, or bycomprehensively using the foregoing positioning manners, to obtain moreaccurate mobile phone location information. The Hall effect sensor maychange a status when a nearby magnetic field changes, for example, fromon to off, or from off to on. A combination of the Hall effect sensorand a magnet may be used to detect a proximity status of two components,for example, detect whether two screens of the mobile phone 100 areclose, or whether edges of the two screens are close. A gyroscope, abarometer, a hygrometer, a thermometer, an infrared sensor, and othersensors may be further configured for the mobile phone 100. Details arenot described herein.

The audio frequency circuit 160, a loudspeaker 161, and a microphone 162(also referred to as a microphone) may provide an audio interfacebetween the user and the mobile phone 100. The audio frequency circuit160 may transmit, to the loudspeaker 161, a received electrical signalconverted from audio data, and the loudspeaker 161 converts theelectrical signal into a sound signal for output. In addition, themicrophone 162 converts a collected sound signal into an electricalsignal. The audio frequency circuit 160 receives and converts theelectrical signal into audio data, and then outputs the audio data tothe processor 180 for processing. The processor 180 sends processedaudio data to, for example, another terminal by using the RF circuit110, or outputs the audio data to the memory 120 for further processing.

The I/O subsystem 170 may be configured to input or output various typesof information or data of the system. The I/O subsystem 170 includes aninput unit controller 171, a sensor controller 172, and the displaycontroller 173. The I/O subsystem 170 receives, by using the foregoingcontrollers, various types of data sent by the input unit 130, thesensor 150, and the display screen 140, and controls the foregoingcomponents by sending a control instruction.

The processor 180 is a control center of the mobile phone 100, usesvarious interfaces and lines to connect all parts of the entire mobilephone, and performs various functions and data processing of the mobilephone 100 by running or executing the software program and/or the modulestored in the memory 120 and invoking data stored in the memory 120, toperform overall monitoring on the mobile phone. The processor 180 may bea central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a digitalsignal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit(ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or another programmablelogic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware device, or anycombination thereof. The processor 180 may implement or execute variousexamples of logical blocks, modules, and circuits that are describedwith reference to content disclosed in this application. Alternatively,the processor 180 may be a combination for implementing a computingfunction, for example, a combination of one or more microprocessors, ora combination of a DSP and a microprocessor. Optionally, the processor180 may include one or more processor units. In one embodiment, anapplication processor and a modem processor may be integrated into theprocessor 180, the application processor mainly processes an operatingsystem, a user interface, an application, and the like, and the modemprocessor mainly processes wireless communication. It may be understoodthat the modem processor may alternatively be not integrated into theprocessor 180.

The application includes any application installed on the mobile phone100, including but not limited to a browser, an email, an instantmessage service, word processing, a virtual keyboard, a widget (Widget),encryption, digital rights management, speech recognition, speechreproduction, positioning (for example, a function provided by a GPS),music playing, and the like.

The mobile phone 100 further includes the power supply 190 (such as abattery) that supplies power to each component. In one embodiment, thepower supply may be logically connected to the processor 180 by using apower management system, to implement functions such as charging anddischarging management and power consumption management by using thepower management system.

It should be noted that although not shown, the mobile phone 100 mayfurther include a short-distance wireless transmission component such asa Wi-Fi module and Bluetooth, and details are not described herein.

A dual-screen terminal is used as an example below to describe, withreference to FIG. 2(A), FIG. 2(B), and FIG. 2(C) and FIG. 3(A), FIG.3(B), FIG. 3(C), and FIG. 3(D), an external structure of a terminalprovided in an embodiment of the present invention. It may be understoodthat the terminal provided in this embodiment of the present inventionis not limited to the dual-screen terminal, and may be alternatively aterminal with more screens.

FIG. 2(A), FIG. 2(B), and FIG. 2(C) are schematic diagrams of anexternal structure of a terminal according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. A terminal 100 includes two screens 110 and 120 thatare alternatively referred to as a first screen 110 and a second screen120. Physical parameters of the two screens 110 and 120, such as ascreen material, a size, and a resolution, may be the same or may bedifferent. The two screens 110 and 120 are connected by using aconnection structure 130. The connection structure 130 may include asingle axis hinge, a magnetic connection structure, and a 2D hinge.

When the connection structure 130 is a single axis hinge, as shown inFIG. 2(A), the single axis hinge includes two hinged parts, one part isdisposed on a side edge of the first screen 110, and the other part isdisposed on a side edge of the second screen 120. The single axis hingemay be of any known single axis hinge type. The first screen 110 and thesecond screen 120 of the terminal 100 are placed face to face, anddisplay surfaces of the two screens are adjacent to each other, to forman included angle between the display surfaces of the two screens. Whenthe second screen 120 is flipped around the single axis hinge relativeto the first screen 110, the included angle may change within a rangefrom 0° to 360°.

When the connection structure 130 is a magnetic connection structure, asshown in FIG. 2(B), the first screen 110 and the second screen 120 maybe mutually connected or separated. The magnetic connection structureincludes at least two groups of magnets, one group of magnets aredisposed on a side edge of the first screen 110, and the other group ofmagnets are disposed at a corresponding position on a side edge of thesecond screen 120. When the two side edges approach each other, the twoscreens are connected to each other; and when the two side edges areapart, the two screens are separated from each other. In one embodiment,positioning structures that help the two screens to position may befurther disposed on the two side edges, for example, a convex part isdisposed on one side edge, and a concave part is disposed at a relativeposition on the other side edge. The magnetic connection structure maybe of any known magnetic connection structure type. When the firstscreen 110 and the second screen 120 are placed face to face, a terminalstructure is similar to that in a case of the single axis hinge. Whenthe first screen 110 and the second screen 120 are placed in a samedirection, a display surface of one screen is adjacent to a non-displaysurface of the other screen.

When the connection structure 130 is a 2D hinge, as shown in FIG. 2(C),the 2D hinge includes two mutually orthogonal rotation axes, onerotation axis is connected to a side edge of the first screen 110, andthe other rotation axis is connected to a corresponding position of aside edge of the second screen 120. The 2D hinge may be of any known 2Dhinge type. By using the 2D hinge, the second screen 120 may rotatearound a horizontal axis in the figure relative to the first screen 110,or may rotate around a vertical axis in the figure relative to the firstscreen 110. Therefore, the two screens 110 and 120 may be placed in faceto face, or may be placed in a same direction.

Data may be transmitted between the two screens 110 and 120 throughwired transmission or wireless transmission. In wired transmission, datatransmission may be performed by using various data cables or bydisposing an electronic contact or an interface on the connectionstructure 130. Wireless transmission may be data transmission that isbased on various wireless communications protocols, for example, WIFI,WIFI-direct, Bluetooth, or near field communication (Near FieldCommunication, NFC).

FIG. 3(A), FIG. 3(B), FIG. 3(C), and FIG. 3(D) are schematic diagrams ofa relative position status of terminal screens according to anembodiment of the present invention. Based on the external structure ofthe terminal shown in FIG. 2(A), FIG. 2(B), and FIG. 2(C), a terminal100 may have at least four relative position statuses: a first positionstatus shown in FIG. 3(A), a second position status shown in FIG. 3(B),a third position status shown in FIG. 3(C), and a fourth position statusshown in FIG. 3(D). The foregoing four relative position statuses arerespectively corresponding to four use manners of the terminal, and theforegoing four relative position statuses are specifically describedbelow.

In the first position status, two screens 110 and 120 are deployed sideby side, and are both located on a front surface of the terminal. Inother words, an included angle between a first screen 110 and a secondscreen 120 is 180°. The two screens 110 and 120 may constitute anexpanded screen relative to a single screen. The expanded screen maydisplay a same application interface, for example, a two-level menu ofan application, two-page content of an electronic book, or an enlargedphotograph or video. Alternatively, the expanded screen may display aplurality of application interfaces. For example, each of the twoscreens displays one application interface, or displays more applicationinterfaces.

In the second position status, two screens 110 and 120 are folded, onescreen is located on a front surface of the terminal, and the otherscreen is located on a back surface of the terminal. For example, afirst screen 110 is located on the front surface of the terminal, and asecond screen 120 is located on the back surface of the terminal. Inother words, an included angle between the first screen 110 and thesecond screen 120 is 360°. In this case, the screen on the front surfaceof the terminal may display content or perform a user operation, and theother screen may turn off or go to sleep. When the screen turns off, thescreen neither displays any content nor performs any user operation.When the screen goes to sleep, the screen does not display any content,but may perform a user operation and receive a control instruction of auser. Optionally, the screen on the back surface may also be enabledbased on a requirement, to display content or perform a user operation.

In the third position status, two screens 110 and 120 are folded. Onescreen is located on a front surface of the terminal, the other screenis folded, and a non-display surface of the other screen is located on aback surface of the terminal. For example, a first screen 110 is locatedon the front surface of the terminal, and a non-display surface of asecond screen 120 is located on the back surface of the terminal. Inother words, the terminal 100 uses only one screen. In this case, theterminal 100 is equivalent to a common single-screen terminal, and mayimplement all functions of the single-screen terminal.

In the fourth position status, two screens 110 and 120 are folded, anon-display surface of one screen is located on a front surface of theterminal, and a non-display surface of the other screen is located on aback surface of the terminal. For example, a non-display surface of afirst screen 110 is located on the front surface of the terminal, and anon-display surface of a second screen 120 is located on the backsurface of the terminal. In other words, the two screens of the terminal100 are folded, and no screen is used. In this case, the terminal 100may be in a standby or shutdown state.

In one embodiment, the terminal 100 may further have a fifth positionstatus. In the fifth position status, two screens 110 and 120 aredeployed side by side, one screen is located on a front surface of theterminal, and the other screen is located on a back surface of theterminal. For example, a first screen 110 is located on the frontsurface of the terminal, and a second screen 120 is located on the backsurface of the terminal. A case of the fifth position status is similarto a case of the second position status. Therefore, refer todescriptions of the second position status and related content in thisapplication. Details are not described herein again.

It may be understood that, for the external structure of the terminalshown in FIG. 2(A), FIG. 2(B), and FIG. 2(C), when the connectionstructure 130 of the screens is a single axis hinge, the terminal 100may have the first, the second, and the fourth position statuses. Whenthe connection structure of the screens is a magnetic connectionstructure or a 2D hinge, the terminal 100 may have the foregoing firstto fifth position statuses.

Embodiment 1

A display control method provided in this embodiment of the presentinvention is described with reference to FIG. 4 to FIG. 6(A) and FIG.6(B). FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a display control method according to anembodiment of the present invention. The method is applied to a terminalthat includes at least a first screen and a second screen, and theterminal includes at least the first screen and the second screen. Themethod includes the following operations:

Operation 201. The terminal obtains orientations and display statuses ofthe first screen and the second screen.

Operation 202. When a trigger event occurs, the terminal displaysadjusted display content on the first screen and the second screen basedon the orientations and the display statuses of the first screen and thesecond screen.

In operation 201, the orientations of the first screen and the secondscreen include a relative position status of the screens, a screenposture, and a screen on a front surface of the terminal.

The relative position status of the screens is shown in FIG. 3(A), FIG.3(B), FIG. 3(C), and FIG. 3(D). For details, refer to the foregoingdescriptions. The terminal may obtain the relative position status ofthe first screen and the second screen by using a sensor. The sensor maybe an optical proximity sensor, or may be a Hall effect sensor, or maybe a combination of the two.

In an example, the terminal may obtain the relative position status ofthe screens by using the optical proximity sensor. As shown in FIG. 5 ,an optical proximity sensor 111 may be disposed on a display surface ofa first screen 110, and an optical proximity sensor 112 may be disposedon a non-display surface of the first screen 110. An optical proximitysensor 121 may be disposed on a display surface of a second screen 120,and an optical proximity sensor 122 may be disposed on a non-displaysurface of the second screen 120. The optical proximity sensor may beconfigured to detect whether an object is approaching. Therefore, theterminal may determine the relative position status of the two screensby permuting and combining detection results of the optical proximitysensors.

Table 1 shows a relationship between a detection result of an opticalproximity sensor and a relative position status of screens, “yes”indicates that the optical proximity sensor detects that an object isapproaching, and “no” indicates that the optical proximity sensordetects that no object is approaching.

In one embodiment, in a first position status, no optical proximitysensor is blocked. Therefore, the optical proximity sensors 111, 112,121, and 122 detect that no object is approaching.

In a second position status, the optical proximity sensors 112 and 122are blocked by a screen. Therefore, the optical proximity sensors 111and 121 detect that no object is approaching, and the optical proximitysensors 112 and 122 detect that an object is approaching.

In a third position status, the optical proximity sensors 112 and 121are blocked by a screen. Therefore, the optical proximity sensors 111and 122 detect that no object is approaching, and the optical proximitysensors 112 and 121 detect that an object is approaching.

In a fourth position status, the optical proximity sensors 111 and 121are blocked by a screen. Therefore, the optical proximity sensors 112and 122 detect that no object is approaching, and the optical proximitysensors 111 and 121 detect that an object is approaching.

TABLE 1 Relationship between a detection result of an optical proximitysensor and a relative position status of screens Second Third FourthFirst position position position position status status status statusOptical proximity No No No Yes sensor 111 Optical proximity No Yes YesNo sensor 112 Optical proximity No No Yes Yes sensor 121 Opticalproximity No Yes No No sensor 122

In one embodiment, only one optical proximity sensor may be disposed onthe second screen 120. For example, the optical proximity sensor 121 maybe disposed on the display surface of the second screen 120, or theoptical proximity sensor 122 may be disposed on the non-display surfaceof the second screen 120. The relative position status of the twoscreens may be determined based on permutations and combinations ofdetection results of the optical proximity sensors 111, 112, and 121 (or122) shown in Table 1.

In one embodiment, when the first screen 110 and the second screen 120are connected by using a single axis hinge, the relative position statusincludes only the first, the second, and the fourth position statuses.Therefore, a quantity of optical proximity sensors can be furtherreduced. For example, the optical proximity sensor 111 may be disposedon the display surface of the first screen 110, and the opticalproximity sensor 112 may be disposed on the non-display surface of thefirst screen 110. The relative position status of the two screens may bedetermined based on permutations and combinations of detection resultsof the optical proximity sensors 111 and 112 shown in Table 1.

It may be understood that, in one embodiment of the present invention, aposition (for example, an upper part or a lower part of the screen) ofthe optical proximity sensor on the screen may be set based on an actualrequirement. This is not limited in this application.

In another example, the terminal may obtain the relative position statusof the screens by using the Hall effect sensor. As shown in FIG. 6(A),Hall effect sensors 113 and 114 may be disposed on a side edge of thefirst screen 110 adjacent to a hinge, and a magnet 123 may be disposedon a side edge of the second screen 120 adjacent to the hinge. When thefirst screen 110 and the second screen 120 are placed face to face, theHall effect sensor 113 is close to the magnet 123. As shown in FIG.6(B), when the first screen 110 and the second screen 120 are placed ina same direction, the Hall effect sensor 114 is close to the magnet 123.

In addition, Hall effect sensors 115 and 116 may be disposed on a sideedge of the first screen 110 opposite to the hinge, and magnets 125 and126 may be disposed on a side edge of the second screen 120 opposite tothe hinge. In addition, the Hall effect sensor 115 is located on thenon-display surface of the first screen 110, and the magnet 125 islocated on the non-display surface of the second screen 120. The Halleffect sensor 116 is located on the display surface of the first screen110, and the magnet 126 is located on the display surface of the secondscreen 120.

The Hall effect sensor may change a status when a magnetic fieldchanges, for example, from on to off, or from off to on. For example,the Hall effect sensor is off when approaching the magnet. The terminalmay determine the position status of the two screens based onpermutations and combinations of Hall effect sensor statuses.

Table 2 shows a relationship between a Hall effect sensor status and arelative position status of screens, “on” indicates that a Hall effectsensor is on, and “off” indicates that a Hall effect sensor is off.

In one embodiment, in the first position status, the Hall effect sensor113 is close to the magnet 123. Therefore, the Hall effect sensor 113 isoff, and the Hall effect sensors 114, 115, and 116 are on.

In the second position status, the Hall effect sensor 113 is close tothe magnet 123, and the Hall effect sensor 115 is close to the magnet125. Therefore, the Hall effect sensors 113 and 115 are off, and theHall effect sensors 114 and 116 are on.

In the third position status, the Hall effect sensor 114 is close to themagnet 123, and the Hall effect sensor 115 is close to the magnet 126.Therefore, the Hall effect sensors 113 and 116 are on, and the Halleffect sensors 114 and 115 are off.

In the fourth position status, the Hall effect sensor 113 is close tothe magnet 123, and the Hall effect sensor 116 is close to the magnet126. Therefore, the Hall effect sensors 113 and 116 are off, and theHall effect sensors 114 and 115 are on.

TABLE 2 Relationship between a Hall effect sensor status and a positionstatus of screens Second Third Fourth First position position positionposition status status status status Hall effect sensor 113 Off Off OnOff Hall effect sensor 114 On On Off On Hall effect sensor 115 On OffOff On Hall effect sensor 116 On Off On Off

In one embodiment, the Hall effect sensor 115 may be located on thedisplay screen of the first screen 110, and the magnet 125 may belocated on the display surface of the second screen 110. The Hall effectsensor 116 may be located on the non-display surface of the first screen110, and the magnet 126 is located on the non-display surface of thesecond screen 120.

In one embodiment, when the first screen 110 and the second screen 120are connected by using a single axis hinge, the position status of thetwo screens includes only the first, the second, and the fourth positionstatuses. Therefore, a quantity of Hall effect sensors can be reduced.For example, the Hall effect sensors 115 and 116 may be disposed on thefirst screen 110, and the relative position status of the two screensmay be determined based on permutations and combinations of statuses ofthe Hall effect sensors 115 and 116 shown in Table 2.

In one embodiment, positions of the Hall effect sensor and the magnetmay be exchanged, and the positions (for example, the upper part or thelower part) of the Hall effect sensor and the magnet on the screen maybe set based on an actual requirement. This is not limited in thisapplication. In addition, the Hall effect sensor may also be set to beon when the Hall effect sensor is close to the magnet.

In some other examples, the optical proximity sensor and the Hall effectsensor may be further comprehensively used. The terminal may determinethe relative position status of the two screens based on the detectionresult of the optical proximity sensor and permutations and combinationsof Hall effect sensor statuses. In addition, a relative positionrelationship of terminal screens may also be determined by using a knownmethod, and details are not described herein.

The screen posture includes landscape placement and portrait portrait.Landscape may be that a connection structure for terminal screens isplaced in a horizontal direction, and portrait may be that theconnection structure for terminal screens is placed in a verticaldirection. The terminal may obtain the screen posture by using a motionsensor. The motion sensor includes a gravity sensor or a gyroscope. Thescreen gesture of the terminal may be switched between landscapeplacement and portrait placement. For example, the terminal screen isrotated from landscape placement to portrait placement. In a rotationprocess, the terminal may measure a rotation angle of the terminal byusing the motion sensor. When the rotation angle exceeds a presetthreshold, the terminal determines that the screen posture is switchedto portrait placement. The preset threshold may be determined based onan actual situation, for example, may be set to 45°.

In one embodiment, when the terminal uses a single axis hinge forconnection, a motion sensor may be disposed on one of the screens, sothat the two screens share the motion sensor to obtain the screenposture.

In one embodiment, when the terminal uses a magnetic connectionstructure or a 2D hinge for connection, a motion sensor may be disposedon each of the two screens, to separately obtain screen postures of thetwo screens.

A screen (also referred to as a primary screen) currently used by a usermay be a screen on the front surface of the terminal, in other words, ascreen facing the user. Correspondingly, a screen on a back surface ofthe terminal may be referred to as a secondary screen. The terminal maydetermine the primary screen by using a camera, or may determine theprimary screen by using a display status of the screen.

A method for determining the primary screen is described below withreference to the relative position status of the screens.

In the first position status, the terminal may determine the two screensas primary screens.

In the third position status, the terminal may determine one of the twoscreens that is located outside as the primary screen. For example, theterminal may determine, based on optical proximity sensors on the twoscreens, the screen that is located outside. Specifically, when anoptical proximity sensor always detects that an object is approaching, ascreen to which the optical proximity sensor belongs is located insidethe terminal. Alternatively, when an optical proximity sensor detectsthat no object is approaching, a screen to which the optical proximitysensor belongs is located outside the terminal.

In the fourth position status, the terminal does not need to determinethe primary screen.

In the second position status, the terminal may determine the primaryscreen in any one of the following manners.

In an example, a camera may be disposed on each of the two screens ofthe terminal, and the terminal identifies a user face by using thecamera to determine a currently used screen. For example, when the useruses one screen, a camera on the screen may identify the user.Therefore, the terminal determines the screen as the primary screen anddetermines the other screen as the secondary screen. The user may beidentified by the camera by using an existing method, and details arenot described herein.

In another example, the terminal may determine the primary screen basedon an on/off status of the two screens. For example, a screen currentlyin an on state is the primary screen, and a screen currently in a sleepor off state is the secondary screen.

In another example, the terminal may determine the primary screen basedon whether the two screens are locked. For example, an unlocked screenis determined as the primary screen, and a locked screen is determinedas the secondary screen.

The terminal may further determine the primary screen by using anotherknown method, and details are not described herein.

The terminal may obtain display content of the screen by using a displaycontroller, or may obtain display content of the screen by using aprocessor. The display content of the screen may be obtained by using anexisting method, and details are not described herein.

The display status of the screen includes an on/off status of the screenand the display content.

The on/off status of the screen includes an on state, a sleep state, andan off state. The terminal may obtain the on/off status of the screen byusing the display controller 173 or the processor 180 described above.When the screen turns on, the screen may display various types ofcontent, and may perform a user operation and receive a controlinstruction of the user. When the screen goes to sleep, the screen doesnot display any content, but may perform a user operation. When thescreen turns off, the screen neither displays any content nor performs auser operation.

The display content of the screen includes a system desktop or anapplication interface that is being displayed or to be displayed on theterminal. The display content may be obtained by using the displaycontroller 173 or the processor 180 described above.

The system desktop may include a notification bar area, an icon displayarea, and a shortcut application area, and may further include a widget(Widget). There may be one or more icon display areas, and the terminalmay display one icon display area on the screen at a time. When thesystem desktop includes a plurality of icon display areas, one of theicon display areas may be a primary icon display area, and remainingicon display areas are secondary icon display areas. The primary icondisplay area is an icon display area that is displayed after theterminal is unlocked in a common case. When the system desktop includesone icon display area, the icon display area may be the primary icondisplay area.

In one embodiment, the system desktop may further include HiBoard, andHiBoard may include content such as a search box, an application linkthat is commonly used by the user, various types of messagenotifications, and news. HiBoard is usually located on a leftmost sideof the icon display area.

The application interface may also be referred to as an applicationwindow, and include an interface size and an interface position.

The interface size may be represented by a resolution. For example, whena quantity of pixels in an interface width direction is 1080 and aquantity of pixels in a height direction is 720, the interface size maybe represented as a resolution of 1080×720. It should be noted that, incase of no ambiguity, a width or a height mentioned in thisspecification means a quantity of pixels in a width or height direction.

The interface position may be determined by position coordinates of anupper left corner of the application interface relative to an upper leftcorner of the terminal screen. For example, when the terminal screen isin the first position status and the first screen is located on a leftside of the second screen, an upper left corner vertex of the firstscreen is an origin. When the application interface is displayed on thefirst screen, position coordinates of the application interface are (0,0). When the application interface is displayed on the second screen,position coordinates of the application interface are (W+1, 0), and W isa width of the first screen.

In operation 202, the trigger event is used to trigger the terminal toadjust the display statuses of the first screen and the second screen.The trigger event may be orientation changes of the first screen and thesecond screen, or may be a preset user operation, or may be a presetapplication activity, or may be a combination of the foregoing triggerevents.

The orientation changes of the first screen and the second screen may bea relative position status change of the screens, for example, thescreens are switched from the first position status to the secondposition status; or the orientation changes of the first screen and thesecond screen may be a screen posture change, for example, the screensare switched from landscape placement to portrait placement; or theorientation changes of the first screen and the second screen may be achange of the screen being used by the user, for example, the screensare in the second position status, and the user uses the first screen.When the second screen rotates to the front surface of the terminal, theuser uses the second screen. In this case, the screen being used by theuser changes.

The terminal may detect the orientation changes of the first screen andthe second screen by using the method described in operation 201. If theterminal detects the orientation changes of the first screen and thesecond screen, the terminal determines that the trigger event occurs.Otherwise, the terminal determines that the trigger event does notoccur.

The preset user operation may be used to determine whether the useroperation is a user operation for adjusting the display status and thedisplay content of the terminal screen, for example, an operation suchas finger pressing, sliding, or drawing a specific graph.

In an example, the preset user operation may be an operation performedby the user in a preset area of the screen. For example, a specific areamay be separated from the screen. If the terminal detects that the userperforms the operation in the preset area, the terminal determines thatthe user performs the preset user operation.

In another example, the preset user operation may alternatively be thatthe user performs a preset gesture operation on the screen. For example,a specific gesture may be set, for example, tapping the screen for morethan preset duration, or a sliding track on the screen is a closedtriangle, square, or circle. If the terminal detects that the userperforms the preset gesture operation, the terminal determines that theuser performs the preset user operation.

In another example, the preset user operation may alternatively beperforming the preset gesture operation in the preset area of thescreen, in other words, a combination of the foregoing two manners. Forexample, the user may be set to perform a specific gesture (for example,pressing the screen for more than the preset duration, or the slidingtrack on the screen is a closed triangle, square, or circle) in thespecific area of the screen, and the terminal determines that the userperforms the preset user operation.

It may be understood that the foregoing preset user operation is merelyan example description, and the preset user operation may be flexiblyset or defined based on an actual requirement.

The terminal may detect the operation performed by the user on thescreen, and match the user operation with the preset user operation. Ifthe matching succeeds, the terminal determines that the trigger eventoccurs. Otherwise, the terminal determines that the trigger event doesnot occur. The terminal may detect the user operation by using the inputunit controller 171 described above.

The preset application activity may be used to determine whether anapplication activity is an application activity for adjusting thedisplay status and the display content of the terminal screen, forexample, receiving new content that needs to be displayed, such as anincoming call, a short message, an instant messaging message, or amessage notification of another application.

The preset application activity may be managed and defined by the user.For example, the user may define the incoming call, the short message,and an instant messaging application as high-priority applications. Whenthe foregoing high-priority applications receive the new content, theterminal determines that the trigger event occurs.

The terminal may detect the application activity, and match theapplication activity with the preset user operation. If the matchingsucceeds, the terminal determines that the trigger event occurs.Otherwise, the terminal determines that the trigger event does notoccur. The terminal may detect the application activity by using theprocessor 180 described above.

In one embodiment, when determining that the application activity is thepreset application activity, the terminal may send, to the user, aprompt for adjusting the display status and the display content of thescreen. For example, the terminal may provide a corresponding textprompt on a display screen currently used by the user, or directlyprovide a prompt through vibration and/or sound. In this way, the usermay determine, by using the user operation, whether to adjust thedisplay status of the screen.

When the trigger event for adjusting the display status and the displaycontent of the screen occurs, the terminal adjusts a display status ofeach screen based on the obtained orientations and the current displaystatuses of the first screen and the second screen, and displays theadjusted display content on the first screen, the second screen, or thefirst screen and the second screen. Specifically, the terminal mayadjust the display status of the screen based on an orientation of thescreen. For example, when the screens are in the first position status,the terminal may enable the two screens; and when the screens are in thesecond position status, the terminal may enable a screen on the frontsurface of the terminal, and may set a screen on the back surface of theterminal to an off or standby state. The terminal may furtherre-determine sizes and positions of the system desktop and theapplication interface. The terminal may send an adjusted display statusof the screen to the processor or the display controller, generatedisplay data of each screen, and distribute the display data to eachscreen for display. The terminal may generate the display data anddistribute the foregoing data to each screen for display by using anexisting method. For example, an interface UI of each application isdrawn based on a SurfaceFlinger service of an Android system, anddetails are not described herein.

In an example, the terminal screens are in the first position status,and sizes of the two screens are the same. A width and a height arerespectively W and H. When the screen posture is landscape, the terminalgenerates display data based on a screen size of 2W×H, and distributesthe display data to the first screen and the second screen for display.When the screen posture is portrait, the terminal generates display databased on a screen size of H×2W, and distributes the display data to thefirst screen and the second screen for display.

In one embodiment, the sizes of the two screens of the terminal may alsobe different. A width and a height of the first screen are respectivelyW₁ and H₁, and a width and a height of the first screen are respectivelyW₂ and H₂. When the screen posture is landscape, the terminal maygenerate display data by using a window based on a screen size of W₁×H₁,and generate display data by using another window based on a screen sizeof W₂×H₂. When the screen posture is portrait, the terminal may generatedisplay data by using a window based on a screen size of W₁×H₁, generatedisplay data by using another window based on a screen size of W₂×H₂,and distribute the display data to the first screen and the secondscreen for display.

In another example, the terminal screens are in the second positionstatus, and sizes of the two screens are the same. A width is W, and aheight is H. The first screen turns on, and the second screen turns off.When the screen posture is landscape, the terminal may generate displaydata based on a screen size of W×H. When the two screens of the terminalare switched from the second position status to the first positionstatus, the first screen keeps on, the second screen is switched fromoff to on, and the terminal may generate display data based on a screensize of W×2H. When the screen posture is portrait, the terminalgenerates display data based on a screen size of 2H×W. After generatingthe display data, the terminal distributes the display data to the firstscreen and the second screen for display.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the terminal obtains anorientation, a display status, and display content of a screen. Whendetermining that the trigger event occurs, the terminal may adjust thedisplay status of the screen in a timely manner, so that a user canperform an interaction operation and interaction display betweendifferent screens, thereby improving user experience.

Terminal display solutions in different scenarios are further describedbelow with reference to FIG. 7(A) and FIG. 7(B) to FIG. 16A and FIG. 16Bby using a relative position status of screens of a dual-screen terminalas a scenario.

Scenario 1

Two screens of a terminal are in a first position status, and the twoscreens may constitute an expanded screen. Compared with a singlescreen, the expanded screen may be used to display more content. Thecontent includes an expanded system desktop, an expanded applicationinterface, a plurality of application interfaces, or the like.

The expanded system desktop may include an expanded notification area,an expanded icon display area, and an expanded shortcut applicationarea.

The expanded application interface may be expanded display of anapplication interface, for example, displaying an enlarged photograph orvideo on an expanded screen. The expanded application interface mayalternatively be a plurality of interfaces of one application. Forexample, the application includes a two-level menu. The terminal maydisplay a first-level menu on one screen, and display a second-levelmenu on the other screen.

The plurality of application interfaces may be interfaces of a pluralityof applications run by the terminal on the foreground. For example, whenthe terminal runs two applications on the foreground, the terminal maydisplay one application interface on one screen, and display the otherapplication interface on the other screen.

When the terminal determines that a trigger event occurs, the terminaladjusts a display status of the screen. The trigger event may include ascreen posture change, a user operation, an application activity, or thelike.

In an example, as shown in FIG. 7(A), the terminal is a landscapeposture, in other words, a screen hinge is placed in a horizontaldirection. A first screen is located at the bottom, and a second screenis located at the top. The terminal displays a video applicationinterface, and this video application plays video in a maximized manner.In this case, the relative position status, the display status, and thedisplay content of the terminal screens are as follows: The two screensare on, the first screen displays lower half content of the video, andthe second screen displays upper half content of the video. When theterminal rotates clockwise to a portrait posture, in other words, theterminal rotates 90° clockwise, as shown in FIG. 7(B), the terminaldetects a posture change, and determines that the trigger event occurs.When the relative position status of the screens does not change, theterminal keeps the two screens on, re-layouts the video applicationinterface based on a direction obtained after rotation, displays lefthalf content of the video on the first screen, and displays right halfcontent of the video on the second screen.

In one embodiment, when the terminal is in a landscape posture, thevideo application interface may not be displayed in the middle of thescreen, but is displayed on one of the two screens, for example, thefirst screen or the second screen. When detecting a posture change, theterminal determines that the trigger event occurs, and adjusts thedisplay status of the screen.

By detecting the posture change, the terminal may determine that thetrigger event occurs, to adaptively adjust the display content.

In another example, as shown in FIG. 8(A), the terminal is in alandscape posture. The first screen is located at the bottom, and thesecond screen is located at the top. The first screen displays a videoapplication interface, and the second screen displays anotherapplication interface or a system desktop. The terminal runs an instantmessaging application on the background, and an instant messagingapplication interface is located at a next layer of the videoapplication interface. The user performs single-finger sliding from thefirst screen to the second screen. When this operation matches thepreset user operation of switching the application interface, theterminal determines that the trigger event occurs. As shown in FIG.8(B), when the screen orientation does not change, the terminal keepsthe two screens on, re-layouts the video application interface and theinstant messaging application interface, displays the instant messagingapplication interface on the first screen, and displays the videoapplication interface on the second screen.

In one embodiment, the terminal may display an animation effect that thevideo application interface smoothly moves from the first screen to thesecond screen.

In one embodiment, the instant messaging application interface furtherincludes one or more application interfaces, and the terminal may movethe one or more application interfaces from the first screen to thesecond screen layer by layer by using the user operation. When moving tothe second screen, an application window may cover, layer by layer,application interfaces displayed on the second screen. In addition, theterminal may move, by using the user operation, the applicationinterface displayed on the second screen to the first screen. Whenmoving to the first screen, the application window may cover, layer bylayer, application interfaces displayed on the first screen.

In one embodiment, the terminal may disable, layer by layer by using theuser operation, application interfaces displayed on the two screens. Inother words, the terminal may disable application interfaces at topmostlayers of the two screens, to display a next-layer applicationinterface.

The terminal may determine, by detecting the user operation, that thetrigger event occurs, adjust a position of the application interface,and combine different application interfaces.

In another example, as shown in FIG. 9(A), the terminal is in a portraitposture, the first screen is on a left side, and the second screen is ona right side. The terminal maximizes display of a video applicationinterface on an expanded screen. When the terminal detects anapplication activity, for example, a mobile phone application receivesan incoming call, the terminal determines that a trigger event occurs.As shown in FIG. 9(B), the terminal adjusts an application layout,displays the activity application on the first screen, and displays thevideo application interface on the second screen. When the usercompletes processing the application activity, for example,disconnecting the incoming call or tapping to send a short message, theterminal restores the video application interface to an expandedinterface.

In one embodiment, the terminal may adjust an application status basedon an application type. For example, when an application is a video ormusic application, when adjusting an interface of the application, theterminal may switch the application from a play state to a pause state.When the terminal is restored to the expanded interface for display, theterminal may switch the application from the pause state to the playstate.

The terminal may determine, by detecting the application activity, thatthe trigger event occurs. When providing the expanded screen, theterminal simultaneously responds to an important event in a timelymanner, and implements multi-task processing.

Scenario 2

Two screens of a terminal are in a second position status, one screenfaces a front surface of the terminal, and the other screen faces a backsurface of the terminal. In a second position status, the terminal maydisplay different content on the two screens. For example, the screen onthe front surface of the terminal displays main content on which a userfocuses, and the screen on the back surface of the terminal displaysother content. The terminal may alternatively enable only the screen onthe front surface of the terminal, and enable the screen on the backsurface of the terminal to be in a sleep state or an off state.Optionally, the terminal may alternatively lock the screen on the backsurface of the terminal, so that the screen cannot receive a useroperation.

When the terminal determines that a trigger event occurs, the terminaladjusts a display status of the screen. The trigger event may include ascreen posture change, the user operation, an application activity, orthe like.

The terminal may switch display content of the two screens based on thetrigger event, and the terminal may also control display content of afront screen based on an operation that is performed by the user on thescreen on the back surface of the terminal, to cause interaction betweenthe two screens.

In an example, as shown in FIG. 10A, the first screen of the terminal islocated on the front surface, and the second screen is located on theback surface. The terminal displays a primary icon display area on thefirst screen, and displays an adjacent icon display area on the secondscreen. As shown in FIG. 10B, when positions of the two screens areexchanged, in other words, the first screen rotates to the back surface,and the second screen rotates to the front surface, the terminaldetermines that the trigger event occurs. The terminal keeps the twoscreens on, switches the display content of the two screens, displaysthe primary icon display area on the second screen, and displays theadjacent icon display areas on the first screen.

In one embodiment, the terminal may separately display differentapplication interfaces or different windows of an application on the twoscreens. When the positions of the two screens are exchanged, theterminal switches the display content of the two screens.

In another example, as shown in FIG. 11A, the first screen of theterminal is located on the front surface, and the second screen islocated on the back surface. The terminal displays the primary icondisplay area on the first screen, and the second screen is in a sleepstate. When the user performs an operation on the second screen, forexample, sliding on the second screen, as shown in FIG. 11B, theterminal displays an icon display area adjacent to the primary icondisplay area on the first screen based on a sliding direction.Specifically, when the user slides to the left on the second screen,this is equivalent to sliding to the left on the first screen.Therefore, the primary icon display area displayed on the first screenis shifted to the left, and the adjacent icon display area on a rightside is displayed on the first screen. A case in which the user slidesto the right on the second screen is similar to this, and only adirection is opposite. Details are not described herein.

In one embodiment, the second screen may be in an on state. When theuser performs a preset user operation, the terminal determines that thetrigger event occurs, and may switch the display content of the twoscreens.

In another example, as shown in FIG. 12A, the first screen of theterminal is located on the front surface, and the second screen islocated on the back surface. The terminal displays a video applicationinterface on the first screen. When the terminal receives a new messagenotification, in order not to affect video watching of the user, theterminal displays the message notification on the second screen. Asshown in FIG. 12B, when the user performs an operation on the secondscreen, for example, the user taps the second screen, the terminaldisplays the message application interface on the first screen based onthe user operation, and displays the video application interface on thesecond screen.

In one embodiment, when the video application interface is displayed onthe second screen, the terminal may switch the video from a play stateto a pause state.

In another example, as shown in FIG. 13A, the first screen of theterminal is located on the front surface, and the second screen islocated on the back surface. The terminal displays a video applicationinterface on the first screen. When the terminal detects an applicationactivity, for example, a mobile phone application receives an incomingcall, the terminal determines that a trigger event occurs. As shown inFIG. 13B, the terminal adjusts an application layout, displays theactivity application on the first screen, and displays the videoapplication interface on the second screen. When the user completesprocessing the application activity, for example, disconnecting theincoming call or tapping to send a short message, the terminal restoresthe video application interface to an expanded interface.

In one embodiment, the terminal may adjust an application status basedon an application type. For example, when an application is a video ormusic application, when adjusting an interface of the application, theterminal may switch the application from a play state to a pause state.When the terminal is restored to the expanded interface for display, theterminal may switch the application from the pause state to the playstate.

Scenario 3

Terminal screens are switched from a second position status to a firstposition status. In this case, two screens of a terminal are switchedfrom a folded state to an expanded state. In the foregoing switchingprocess, the terminal may adjust display statuses and display content ofthe two screens from “suitable for the second position status” to“suitable for the first position status” based on features of the tworelative position statuses.

In an example, as shown in FIG. 14A, the terminal is in the secondposition status, and the terminal is placed in a portrait manner. Theterminal displays a primary icon display area on a first screen, and thesecond is in a sleep state or an off state. When the second screen isrotated and expanded along a connection structure of the terminal, asshown in FIG. 14B, the terminal detects that a relative position statusof screens changes, and determines that a trigger event occurs.Therefore, the terminal keeps a status of the first screen unchanged,enables the second screen, and displays an icon display area adjacent toa right side of the primary icon display area on the second screen.

In one embodiment, when the second screen is located on a left side ofthe first screen, the terminal may display an icon display area adjacentto a left side of the primary icon display area on the second screen.

In one embodiment, when a system desktop includes only the primary icondisplay area, the terminal may create a new icon display area, anddisplay the new icon display area on the second screen. The terminal mayalso display HiBoard on the second screen.

In one embodiment, the first screen may display any one of a pluralityof icon display areas. When the second screen is expanded, the secondscreen may display an icon display area adjacent to a right side or aleft side of the icon display area.

In another example, as shown in FIG. 15A, the first screen of theterminal displays a currently running application and a soft keyboard,and the application may be an instant messaging application or adocument processing application. When the second screen is rotated andexpanded along an axis of a screen connection structure, as shown inFIG. 15B, the terminal extends the application and the soft keyboard tothe first screen and the second screen for display. By extending theapplication and the soft keyboard for display, a text browse area and atext input area can be expanded, and erroneous input caused by anextremely small key spacing can be reduced.

In one embodiment, the application may alternatively be another type ofapplication, for example, an album application or a video application.When the second screen is rotated and expanded along a hinge, theterminal extends these application interfaces to the first screen andthe second screen for display.

In another example, as shown in FIG. 16A, the first screen of theterminal displays a first-level menu of a currently running application,for example, a display setting menu of a system setting program. Whenthe second screen is rotated and expanded along a hinge, as shown inFIG. 16B, the terminal keeps the first-level menu displayed on the firstscreen unchanged, and displays a second-level menu corresponding to thefirst-level menu on the second screen. By displaying the two-level menu,it may be convenient for the user to quickly browse and set a relatedoption.

In one embodiment, when the application includes a plurality of pages,for example, an ebook reading application, the terminal displays onepage of the application on the first screen. When the second screen isrotated and expanded along a hinge, the terminal keeps the displaycontent of the first screen unchanged, and displays a next page of thepage on the second screen.

Embodiment 2

FIG. 17 is a schematic structural diagram of a second terminal accordingto an embodiment of the present invention. The terminal provided in thisembodiment of the present invention may be configured to perform themethods implemented in the embodiments of the present invention shown inFIG. 4 to FIG. 16A and FIG. 16B. As shown in FIG. 17 , the terminal 1700includes an obtaining module 1701 and a display module 1702.

The obtaining module 1701 is configured to obtain orientations anddisplay statuses of a first screen and a second screen of the terminal.The display module 1702 is configured to: when a trigger event occurs,display adjusted display content on the first screen and the secondscreen based on the orientations and the display statuses of the firstscreen and the second screen, where the trigger event is used to triggerthe terminal to adjust the display statuses of the first screen and thesecond screen.

In one embodiment, the obtaining module 1701 is further configured toobtain a relative position status of the first screen and the secondscreen.

In one embodiment, the obtaining module 1701 is further configured toobtain the relative position status by using sensors disposed on thefirst screen and the second screen.

In this embodiment of the present invention, the terminal obtains anorientation, a display status, and display content of a screen. Whendetermining that the trigger event occurs, the terminal may adjust thedisplay status of the screen in a timely manner, so that a user canperform an interaction operation and interaction display betweendifferent screens, thereby improving user experience.

Embodiment 3

FIG. 18 is a schematic structural diagram of a third terminal accordingto an embodiment of the present invention. The terminal provided in thisembodiment of the present invention may be configured to perform themethods implemented in the embodiments of the present invention shown inFIG. 4 to FIG. 16A and FIG. 16B. For ease of description, only a partrelated to this embodiment of the present invention is shown. Forspecific technical details that are not disclosed, refer to theforegoing method embodiments of the present invention and another partof this application document. As shown in FIG. 18 , the terminal 1800includes a processor 1810, a memory 1820, a screen 1830, and a sensor1840.

The processor 1810 is connected to the memory 1820, the display screen1830, and the sensor 1840 by using one or more buses, and is configuredto obtain information collected by a sensor 1850, invoke an executioninstruction stored in the memory 1820, and send the executioninstruction stored in the memory 1820 to the display screen 1830 forpresentation. The processor 1810 may be the processor 180 shown in FIG.1 .

The memory 1820 may be the memory 120 shown in FIG. 1 , or somecomponents in the memory 120.

The screen 1830 includes at least a first screen and a second screen.The display screen 1830 may be the display screen 140 shown in FIG. 1 oranother external display device.

The sensor 1840 may be the sensor 150 shown in FIG. 1 .

The processor 1810 is configured to: obtain orientations and displaystatuses of the first screen and the second screen; and when a triggerevent occurs, display adjusted display content on the first screen andthe second screen based on the orientations and the display statuses ofthe first screen and the second screen, where the trigger event is usedto trigger the terminal to adjust the display statuses of the firstscreen and the second screen.

Further, the processor 1810 is further configured to obtain a relativeposition status of the first screen and the second screen.

Further, the processor 1810 is further configured to obtain the relativeposition status by using sensors disposed on the first screen and thesecond screen.

In this embodiment of the present invention, the terminal obtains anorientation, a display status, and display content of a screen. Whendetermining that the trigger event occurs, the terminal may adjust thedisplay status of the screen in a timely manner, so that a user canperform an interaction operation and interaction display betweendifferent screens, thereby improving user experience.

All or some of the foregoing embodiments in the present invention may beimplemented by using software, hardware, firmware, or any combinationthereof. When software is used to implement the embodiments, theembodiments may be implemented completely or partially in a form of acomputer program product. The computer program product includes one ormore computer instructions. When the computer program instructions areloaded and executed on the computer, all or some of the procedures orfunctions according to the embodiments of the present invention aregenerated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a dedicatedcomputer, a computer network, or another programmable apparatus. Thecomputer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storagemedium or may be transmitted from a computer-readable medium to anothercomputer-readable medium. For example, the computer instructions may betransmitted from a web site, computer, server, or data center to anotherweb site, computer, server, or data center in a wired (for example, acoaxial cable, an optical fiber, or a digital subscriber line (DSL) orwireless (for example, infrared, radio, or microwave) manner. Thecomputer-readable storage medium may be any usable medium accessible bya computer, or a data storage device, such as a server or a data center,integrating one or more usable media. The usable medium may be amagnetic medium (for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a magnetictape), an optical medium (for example, a DVD), a semiconductor medium(for example, a solid state disk (SSD), or the like.

A person skilled in the art should be aware that in one or more of theforegoing examples, the functions described in the present invention maybe implemented by using hardware, software, firmware, or any combinationthereof. When being implemented by software, these functions may bestored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or moreinstructions or code in the computer-readable medium. Thecomputer-readable medium includes a computer storage medium and acommunications medium, and the communications medium includes any mediumthat enables a computer program to be transmitted from one place toanother. The storage medium may be any available medium accessible to ageneral or dedicated computer.

In the foregoing specific implementations, the objectives, technicalsolutions, and beneficial effects of the present invention are furtherdescribed in detail. It may be understood by a person skilled in the artthat the foregoing descriptions are merely preferred embodiments of thetechnical solutions of the present invention, but are not intended tolimit the protection scope of the present invention. Any modification,equivalent replacement, or improvement made without departing from thespirit and principle of the present invention shall fall within theprotection scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display control method, comprising: displaying,by a foldable mobile phone comprising a first screen and a secondscreen, a first-level menu of a currently-running application on thefirst screen; detecting, by the foldable mobile phone, the second screenbeing rotated along a hinge which connects the first and second screensto expand the foldable mobile phone's display; and in response to thesecond screen being rotated along the hinge, displaying a second-levelmenu on the second screen, wherein the second-level menu corresponds tothe first-level menu.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein an includedangle between the first screen and the second screen is configured to beadjustable within a range from 0° to 360°.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein the method further comprises: displaying, by the foldable mobilephone while the foldable mobile phone is in a portrait orientation, afirst application on a top portion of the first and second screens, anda text input area or a soft keyboard display on a bottom portion of thefirst and second screens.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein while thefoldable mobile phone is in the portrait orientation, the first screenis to the left of the second screen.
 5. The method of claim 3, whereinthe method further comprises: displaying, by the foldable mobile phonewhile the foldable mobile phone is in a landscape orientation, the firstapplication on the first screen and the text input area or the softkeyboard display on the second screen.
 6. The method of claim 5, whereinwhile the foldable mobile phone is in the landscape orientation, thefirst screen is above the second screen.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein the second-level menu is displayed on the second screen togetherwith the first-level menu being displayed on the first screen.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the currently-running application is a systemsetting program, and the first-level menu is a display setting menu. 9.The method of claim 1, wherein the second-level menu corresponds to anitem in the first-level menu being selected.
 10. A foldable mobilephone, comprising: a first screen; a second screen; and a processorconfigured to: cause a first-level menu of a currently-runningapplication to be displayed on the first screen; detect the secondscreen being rotated along a hinge which connects the first and secondscreens, expanding the foldable mobile phone's display; and cause, inresponse to the second screen being rotated along the hinge, asecond-level menu to be displayed on the second screen, wherein thesecond-level menu corresponds to the first-level menu.
 11. The foldablemobile phone of claim 10, wherein an included angle between the firstscreen and the second screen is configured to be adjustable within arange from 0° to 360°.
 12. The foldable mobile phone of claim 10,wherein the processor is further configured to cause, while the foldablemobile phone is in a portrait orientation, a first application to bedisplayed on a top portion of the first and second screens, and a textinput area or a soft keyboard display to be displayed on a bottomportion of the first and second screens.
 13. The foldable mobile phoneof claim 12, wherein while the foldable mobile phone is in the portraitorientation, the first screen is to the left of the second screen. 14.The foldable mobile phone of claim 12, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to cause, while the foldable mobile phone is in a landscapeorientation, the first application to be displayed on the first screenand the text input area or the soft keyboard display to be displayed onthe second screen.
 15. The foldable mobile phone of claim 14, whereinwhile the foldable mobile phone is in the landscape orientation, thefirst screen is above the second screen.
 16. The foldable mobile phoneof claim 10, wherein the second-level menu is displayed on the secondscreen together with the first-level menu being displayed on the firstscreen.
 17. The foldable mobile phone of claim 10, wherein thecurrently-running application is a system setting program, and thefirst-level menu is a display setting menu.
 18. The foldable mobilephone of claim 10, wherein the second-level menu corresponds to an itemin the first-level menu being selected.